It all comes down to this - you're a competitor in the Spingville Community College Pie-Eating Showdown (Girls Division). Whoever puts away the most pie takes home the crown, a thousand dollars, and glory. Whoever loses is left to swallow her pride and hope she can find room for it.

You're seated near the middle of a long table, dressed to eat in stretch pants and a T-shirt. To your left is Abby Stanton, the cruel, blonde sorority queen, who smirks at you and licks her lips. She's thin, but you know from personal experience she's got a mean streak and a killer instinct. 

To your right is Jenna Mori, heavyset and scowling, her dark hair cut short. She's not cruel like Abby is, but she's hot-headed and clearly came here to win - and if her waistline is any indication, the girl knows how to eat.

"Okay, girls," the announcer chirps. "There's no time limit and no finish line. We just keep going until you can't eat any more, and whoever eats the most wins the thousand bucks. Hope those stomachs are ready for it!"

Someone sets a warm, delicious-looking cherry pie down in front of you. You see identical pies being placed in front of Abby and Jenna.

"On your mark, get set..." the announcer draws out. "Begin!"

Abby wastes no time, immediately grabbing her fork and knife and hacking off a huge slab of pie. She shovels it in her mouth, making a "Mmmm!" sound as she chews.

> You bite into the pie in front you.

You take a bite out of your pie, the sweet cherry flavor bursting onto your tongue. It's warm and delicious, and you can feel it coating your stomach almost immediately.
"Mmmm!"

> You finish off the first pie.

You take the last bite of pie, not wanting to waste a single crumb. The creamy center is so rich that you feel like you might just be able to stand up and float away.
"Mmmm!"

> You glance to your left and right, seeing how Abby and Jenna are doing.

You look to your left, and see that Abby is already starting on her second pie. Cherry filling is smeared around her mouth, and she's chewing determinedly. Across the table, you can see that her competitor is just finishing off her first pie. You look back and forth between the two of them, watching as they both start on their second pies.

> You realize you'd better catch up, and motion for another pie.

You motion to the man standing at the end of the table, who nods and quickly sets a fresh piece of pie in front of you. It's still warm from the oven, and you eagerly grab your fork and knife.

> You dig into your second pie, trying to keep up a slow but steady pace. You're in this for the long haul.

You attack your pie with the same focused determination that you use to approach all of life's challenges. You don't intend to lose this contest, and are determined to win that thousand dollars.
The three of you eat in silence, the only sound that of fork tines scraping against porcelain. You look at each other from across the table, but nobody smiles or nods. There's no communication whatsoever. It's as if you're all in your own separate worlds, focused only on winning.
As you finish off your second pie, you can feel yourself getting full.

> You sit up straighter, not wanting Abby or Jenna to notice that you're getting full. You try to plaster a confident expression on your face as you look over at Abby. "How're you doing? Not exactly your usual diet, is it?"

"Ha ha, very funny," she says with a scowl. "I don't see you winning this thing either. You should probably just forfeit now and save yourself some dignity."
"You're the one who should give up," you say. "You're not going to win."
"Oh yeah? We'll just see about that.

> You say "I'm more worried about Jenna than you. I mean...she's clearly got more room for pie."

"Why, because she's fat? That's where you're wrong. I may be small, but I can put away more food than most people. I'm serious, you need to just give this one to me."
"No, I can win this," you say.
The man at the end of the table has been patiently standing there the whole time. You each take another pie, and the contest resumes.

> You slowly and patiently work your way through the next pie. you look over at Jenna, wondering whether she's starting to feel it at all.

As you look over at her, you notice that her stomach is slightly protruding from her shirt. It's not much, but it's definitely noticeable.
You realize you're doing better than you thought. Maybe you have a chance at winning this thing after all.
You look over at you, and see that she's already made a significant dent in her next pie.
You grab your next pie, and resume eating.
You're starting to feel full, but you don't want to give up. You've come too far to stop now.
You look over at Jenna again. She's put her head down on the table, and is looking miserable.
Just a little bit longer, you tell yourself.
You look over at and she's already finished her pie.

> You say "Uh, Jenna? You doing okay over there?"

"I feel like I'm going to throw up," she groans, not looking up.
"You really need to throw up?" you ask.
"I'm afraid so," she says, slowly rising from her seat. "You don't look so good either."

> You say "Jenna, come on, don't you want to knock Abby out first?"

She shakes her head quickly. "I want to, but I can't hold it in any longer."
With that, she stands up and runs out of the room.
You're left alone with an empty pie tin and a full stomach. You don't feel the least bit sick, but you really don't want to go chasing after her and missing out on winning this contest.

> You say "I guess you were right, Abby. I can't believe Jenna was the first one to go down."

"Yeah, what a surprise. I knew I would win this from the beginning," she replies.
You don't have anything to say, so you sit in silence.

> You motion for the contest organizers to bring you another pie. Number four. You can't let Abby get ahead.

A new pie is put down in front of you.
"That's four, right?" asks the man across from you.
You look over at the other girl. She's still working on her third pie.

> You rest for a moment, breathing slowly in and out. You take stock of yourself. How are you feeling? What is your stomach telling you?

You feel full. Not uncomfortably so, but you're definitely satisfied. You don't reach for the pie in front of you.
"I'm done," you say to the man beside you.
You sit back in your chair, breathing slowly. You need to make a big decision here.
"Done already?" asks the man across from you. "You're not going to win this with three pies, you know."
You look over at the girl in front of you. Her face is covered with orange goo and she's working on her fourth pie, slowly.

> You say "No, I changed my mind. I think I'm going to keep going."

"What?" asks the man.
"I'm going to win this," you say, matter-of-factly.
The man sits back in his chair, clearly surprised by your decision. "Alright then," he says. "Go ahead."
You look over at the girl in front of you. She's still working on her fourth pie, slowly.
"How many does she have to eat?" you ask.
"Five," says the man across from you. "She's only on her fourth."
You look over at the girl in front of you. She's breathing slowly, painfully. She looks miserable.

> You glance down at her stomach to see how the pie is affecting her.

The girl's stomach is swollen to roughly the size of a basketball. It doesn't look like it can hold anymore without breaking. The girl slowly puts another wedge of pie into her mouth. She chews slowly, deliberately, almost painfully. She has tears streaming down her face.
"I can't...eat another bite," she chokes out. "I feel...so sick."

> You say "Oh, but you were so confident, Abby! What happened?"

"I don't know...I guess I just don't have an iron stomach like you," she pants, wiping the tears from her face.
"Oh, you'll be fine," you say. "Just one more bite and you'll win this for sure."
"No..." she says, shaking her head back and forth.

> You say "Are you ready to give up, then?"

"Yes," she breathes, defeated.
The man leans over and lifts the next pie off in front of her. He places it in front of you.
"Congratulations. You are the winner," he says.
He lifts the money off the table and hands it to you. "One thousand dollars. This contest is only run once every five years, so don't go spending it all at once."

> You take the money and pump your fist in the air in victory.

The man with the cash prizes leans over and whispers in your ear.
"She was right. She couldn't have eaten more."
You smile confidently and wave to the crowd. They scream and clap for you.

> You stand up and walk over to Abby, holding out your hand for a friendly shake.

She takes your hand and shakes it. Her hand is clammy, and she is shaking harder than you are.
"You should have won," she says. "Your stomach is stronger than anyone I have ever met."

> You say "Well, you really gave me a run for my money - you ate a lot!"

"I know. I've never eaten so much in my life."
You sit down at the table next to her and grin.

> You lift up your shirt and give her a look at your stomach. "Same here."

She pauses, looking at your stomach. She leans forward and pokes it with her index finger.
"That is hard," she says in amazement.

> You say "Well, it's full of pie."

She laughs and leans back in her chair.
"That was a fun contest," she says. "Next time I'm going to win, though."
You laugh and wave the man over.
"Do you have anything non-alcoholic?" you ask.
He nods. "I have some apple juice."
"I'll take it," you say.
The man nods and walks off.

> You say "You gonna be okay, Abby? Like, you're not going to get sick or anything, are you?"

"I'll be fine," she says. "I just ate too much, that's all. I can't wait to eat again," she says, laughing.

> You say "Okay, I'm gonna go look for Jenna, make sure she's all right."

"Later," she says.
You wave and walk off.
You look around for your friend as you sip on some apple juice. You find her sitting in the grass, staring out at the ocean.
"Hey, you feeling any better?" you ask as you sit down next to her.
She turns her head to look at you and smiles.
"Yeah, I am now. Thanks."
"You gonna be able to sleep tonight?"
"Oh, yeah. I'm really tired now."
You both sit in silence, staring out at the ocean.

> You say "You know what, Jenna? I don't think I'm going to be able to look at pie for a long time."

Jenna laughs.
"Yeah," she says.
You both sit in silence, watching the sun set over the ocean.